craigthom

elvestinkle wrote:Check out RoksBox. Looks like that does video streaming to the Roku. From their site, "your media can reside on your computer's hard drive, on an external drive, on a network attached storage (NAS) device located on your home or local area network, or on a USB attached device (XR and XD|S models)."

Roksbox works great once you have it set up, but it requires installing and configuring a Web server on the computer with the files.

kevinbyd

Got one of these the last time it was offered. HDMI and ethernet connections make this a great value. Purchased mlb.tv this year and the streaming is better than watching the games through Fios. All the games are in HD and there is little to no interruption of the stream. Also use for netflix. Very happy with this purchase.

jobber777

I bought this model from a previous woot. Works pretty good. Put it the playroom so the Kids use it to watch netflix. Simple enough to use. My 2yr old even figured out how to turn on thomas the train (tons of thomas the train content on netflix by the way).

Have about 10tb's worth of 1080p & 720p movies/tv mkv's connected to my htpc. Installed plex on both. Able to stream to roku. No hiccups, and no buffering issues thus far.

I know people knock netflix for their lack of content ie mainstream movies and tv shows. But my kids have found some of the coolest shows browsing netflix. Shows like "h2o just add water" is a cool mermaid show or "troop" a cool show similar to ghosbusters for kids. There's "elephant princess", "magination", list goes on and on. They just keeping finding cool shows for kids. PLUS they have all the power rangers!! Go sabertooth tiger!! A lot of shows I've never heard of, but the kids don't care.

kisrita

Try Plex to stream videos from your pc to the roku. Super easy, and you can use it away from home too.
For those with only 720p Tvs, I would get a Roku 2 LT instead. $50, plus cost of DVI cable. Faster, more up to date software, but no ethernet, no optical audio, and no 1080p. I have both, prefer the new model.

gak0090

Is this worth getting, or should I go with the Western Digital Media player? It seems like they can do pretty much the same thing, but the WD has better codec support (and better reviews). Any thoughts? Newegg has the Live Hub Media center for $150 but it includes a 1TB drive and can do more stuff.

jeadly

salwei wrote:Would this look good on my 720p TV or not really because its 1080p?

It would work just fine on your 720p tv, but I'd buy a new Roku2 HD for $60 than this older model that supports resolution you'll never see.

The only reason to buy a 1080p device now would be future-proofing your setup in case you get a bigger tv. But that makes more sense for a $700 home theater than a $50 streaming box. And future-proofing with last year's refurb model just sounds strange.

tphantom1

aside from Netflix, Hulu, etc, there are plenty of other channels on Roku to check out. many of them consolidate various Internet video streams so you don't have to scour Youtube. for example, the Revision3 "channel" has Epic Meal Time, Digg podcasts, Ben Heck, and more.

the private channels are also interesting. "private" in this case means a developer is working on it and doesn't feel it is ready for mass consumption on the Roku channel market yet. they cater to all sorts of interests, from music to firearms to the Shamu Cameras at SeaWorld.

I only pay for Netflix, but I have a ton of smaller official and private channels added. I'm never bored with what's on (worse comes to worse, there are a ton of streaming music stations to listen to).

Jillr1

clintone wrote:Interesting...if you talk to the folks at Netflix, they'll say the inability to have closed captioning is a deficiency in the Roku. Netflix told me, and I'm no tech wizard to know if they were right, that the Roku didn't have enough memory dedicated to support captioning. Apparently, the next generation of Rokus addressed this.

I have a couple of this generation rokus. Absolutely love them, although I would like CC. I was a bit ticked off as when I bought my first Roku (a woot refurb, no less) I contacted Roku about CC and they said it was something in development and it should be available soon. This was over a year ago. Thus, I'm thinking this gen of Rokus will never have CC capability. Despite that one peeve, I found them to sub well enough for cable to cancel cable TV and go Netflix and TV antenna.

skate4ltj

worldwidewebfeet wrote:No ESPN's, no Fox Sports, no TBS, no TNT, MLB and NHL are available but you have to pay for subscriptions.
No good live News channels. None of your typical cable channels available, except the programs available on services like Netflix etc. Hulu plus was horrible, poor choices, poor streaming, tons of advertising, frequent lock ups on my Roku.

I'm more than willing to pay for an NHL subscription - I already get NHL Center Ice on Directv almost every year. The problem with NHL Game Center is that local games are blacked out. If I could find a way to watch my local games live, at home, on my TV in HD, I would ditch satellite in a heartbeat. That's the only thing holding me back. One year of NHL Game Center is $14/month... way less than my satellite bill even if I'm also paying for Hulu.

joe43wv

daveyo wrote:Don't do it! We bought a refurb Roku from Woot.
Didn't work. Their customer service was among the most frustrating I have ever encountered (and I'vs seen some amazingly bad customer service).

DaveO

Did you deal with Woot or Roku, because I've dealt with Woot before and never had issues.

suziesnow

I Purchased exact model during December's Woot-Off & it works well- playing cartoons in my 3 year old's room. When I purchase a 2nd (or 3rd) media player- I will opt for an internet browser.

The purchase was the 1st Streaming media player I have owned & works well for intended use in child's room. After using the Roku I now realize that having more storage space (a slot for SD card)is almost essential, due to limited space for channel storage. I also would like a slot for a memory stick, where downloaded movies & other personal user content can be played. The only REAL problem I have is with the wireless, intermittently going out.

**Bottom Line: Good Product & meets needs -especially for price. Consider Roku 2 upgrade or pay a bit more to buy a Boxee.

bluzenhere

spiras wrote:Im telling you, buy this. I own one and it is the best thing ever. Get the channel Playon (google it). Then add the plugin tvlinks. (Google it).
With tvlinks, you can cancel your cable tv because you can watch any episode of any tv show ever. Like movies? Take your pick. There are so many channels that arent even listed. The sky is the limit. Trust me. I havent slept since i got mine. Ok thats all for now. Back to watching tv.

Is Roku a supported device? I couldn't find it listed on the playon web site...also what additional charge are there for the network type channels?

tzstlouis

on YouTube, search "cordcutters Roku tips and tricks" for getting the most out of your Roku. The guys at Cordcutters have such helpful advice! They also have a youtube vid for getting the most out of your Netflix streaming on your Roku.

cjpowers

I think the point is, they are paying a bill (possibly to the Cable TV carrier in their area) for Internet, but not paying for cable television.
I got a RoKu for Christmas and dumped cable - bill went from $150+ to $49.95.

choppercharles

jayhafner

curtise wrote:What are the little blue Roku tab things hanging off the box and the remote? Are they fabric tags like on the back of clothing? Are they plastic tabs? Are they removable?

The one on the remote in particular looks like it would get in the way of use.

-=C=-

They are fabric (probably polypropyline) and serve no useful function, other than to remind you who made that neat little box you'll love. I removed the one on the remote by pulling it (backwards) through the slot in the battery cover until it snapped the small "welds" that held it in.
The remote tag DID make the remote feel funny in the hand, but maybe you could use the tag to loop a wrist strap (ala WiiMote)or necklace chain through.....never lose THAT remote again!!
I didn't try removing the main box's tag, since that would mean opening the box....not recommended. But a carefully weilded razor knife would likely do the next best thing!

colbytitus

djenkins1982 wrote:Can you program the Roku remote to turn off your tv or do you have to use two remotes?

No. The Roku remote is only for Roku and it doesn't have a power switch.

I have this model and it works great, especially with Pandora. The sound is amazing for being streamed over the net.
I only wish it had sports channels like ESPN, NFL Network, Fox Sports etc then I could ditch my Satellite.

autryld

Some folks are confusing the term "composite" and "component". Composite is the RCA connector with separate audio. Component is a three-wire solution with separate audio. All units have _composite_ video. Roku2 does not have component video. I like this unit because it has a component connector. But... you need a special breakout cable. The standard three connector setup for PCs won't work. You can buy the cable from Roku or you can search on the web for an inexpensive replacement. I found mine on Amazon but I got a clue which one to buy from Google.

I haven't tried Roksbox but I have Plex (free) and PlayOn. Both serve up your own local media files to your local network and the Roku has apps for both.

stevethorpe

prfchaos06

I bought one on a previous woot and after about two months the wifi function quickly degraded and died. When it worked it was awesome. Still works great plugged into the LAN, but I'm dissappointed about the wifi. Maybe I will open it up and troubleshoot.

Woot.com is operated by Woot Services LLC.
Products on Woot.com are sold by Woot, Inc., other than items on Wine.Woot which are sold by the seller specified on the product detail page.
Product narratives are for entertainment purposes and frequently employ
literary point of view;
the narratives do not express Woot's editorial opinion.
Aside from literary abuse, your use of this site also subjects you to Woot's
terms of use
and
privacy policy.
Woot may designate a user comment as a Quality Post, but that doesn't mean we agree with or guarantee anything said or linked to in that post.